Strings That Hold Me Together
by xZadZapx
Summary: THIS IS AN INK!SANS x ERROR!SANS FIC! while investigating somewhere in one of the universes Ink gets severely injured, soul on the verge of shattering, the next thing he knows is that he's in the anti-void with strings holding his soul together.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey…so this is my first Undertale fanfic, I've fallen in love with the fandom…also the multiverse. I have to admit, I'm a little picky when it comes to the fanfiction community…in general really. Anyway, I hope people enjoy this, I came up with this during an rp I was doing. Now um…I don't really know what all powers Ink has so I'm just going off what I think he can do. Also…sorry if Error is OOC…**

 **Summary: while investigating somewhere in one of the universes Ink gets severely injured, soul on the verge of shattering, the next thing he knows is that he's in the anti-void with strings holding his soul together.**

 **Strings That Hold Me Together**

 **Chapter 1**

Pain…pain was all that could be felt at the moment as he found himself coming into consciousness, at first all he could see was darkness due to his eyes being closed but then as he opened them all he saw was white. Was this…yes, it was the anti-void; he hissed in pain as he tried to get up but found himself to be bandaged, but he was still hurting. It felt like his soul was in millions of pieces, god it just hurt so much and he couldn't stand it. "Ugh…" Ink summoned his soul, eyes widened as he looked at the strings wrapped securely around his soul. There were tiny cracks that could be seen from under the strings, it was like they were holding his very soul together…but these strings! T-they were Error's, there was no mistaking that, but why? What was going on?

Ink tried his best to sit up but found he was just way too sore to even attempt such a feat, god he didn't think he had ever been in this amount of pain before. As he laid back down Error went over to him and looked him over to see if something was wrong.

"Don't move, I just finished patching you up." Error said, voice glitched as it always did when he spoke.

What, why had…why was Ink trying to help him? I didn't make sense, after the millions of times they had butted heads, after the millions of times Ink had to do his best to repair a universe. What the hell was Error playing at anyway, this had to be some sort of joke. God he couldn't think straight right now, so much pain. "W-why am I here…" His voice was but a whisper, throat feeling scratchy from lack of use, it made him feel thirsty; he needed a drink or something.

"You were fighting that creature, it was a good thing I was in that universe, you wouldn't have survived. You were about to be dusted." Error said, and gods; he was not about to touch the other to patch him up yet again if he started bleeding once more, there was just no way. But as he thought about it, he realized he would obviously need to redo the bandages and everything, why hadn't he thought about this more?

Ink sighed shakily as he looked at the other. "Y-you are helping me…?" He asked, completely unsure if he should trust this or not; he couldn't move, couldn't find the strength to defend himself in an attack at the moment. If Error wanted to, he could totally destroy him completely right now and Ink could do nothing about it. "What is…why?" God his headache was getting worse now, and the whole thing with Error acting strangely…that wasn't exactly helping much.

His question went unanswered as Error inspected him and started taking the bandages off, obviously willing to forgo his phobia of touching so he could change the other. Ink had to admit he was a little freaked out right now, watching Error concentrate on his injuries.

Looking at his bones once they were uncovered Ink frowned, there were so many cracks and bruises littering his body, not to mention his arm seemed to be broken. Okay, that explained that pain obviously…but his head still hurt; his free hand went up to his skull and he frowned, there was a crack on his cranium. Damn, how the hell had he managed to survive with all these injuries that alone, could have killed him?

He doubted Error would allow him to leave for a while, especially with wounds like these, a hiss of pain escaped him as some medication was applied to his wounds. Thought's returned to his soul, which was obviously back in his body…covered in the strings that Error used.

The very same strings that had held him a number of times, squeezing tight on his soul, about ready to dust him if necessary. "Are you going to finish the job…" His eyes landed on Error who seemed to tense up a bit, staying silent a moment before answering him. "What would be the point of healing you when all I was going to do is kill you?" He asked and Ink thought about it, that made sense he guessed, but still.

"Then…why is my soul tied up in your strings?" He asked.

Error glitched a little before looking at Ink. "Had to…your soul is in pieces." He stated before going back to bandaging the other up.

"H-how long have I been out?" Ink asked and Error looked up in thought before answering him. "About a week I believe."

It didn't make sense, as Ink tried to process the information, it just…it doesn't make sense as to why Error would just help him, but he guessed he shouldn't dread on it. Ink had spent a lot of time trying to convince himself that Error had some good in him, there just had to be. Maybe, just maybe Error was finally showing him that he had some good in him after all.

Admittedly Ink saw the good in everything, the good in every universe that was created, the good in every person; he even saw the good in Error even if it didn't seem like there was any good in him at all. If you looked deep into his corrupted soul, there was something in it that just…screamed that he was good, Error just needed to be reminded.

But at the moment he couldn't think too far into it, right now he just needed to rest and heal up. A week; he had been in Error's care for a week and his soul hadn't shattered and turned him to dust...a week and he hadn't been out there taking care of the multiverse, a week and he had been in the anti-void…and Error could have caused havoc the whole time he was out.

Either way; he needed to just get out of here and make sure things were still in working order, make sure the universes weren't destroyed because he wasn't there to protect them. His thoughts were interrupted when Error finished up and started working on the injury that was on his head.

It amazed him how Error was doing his best to contain himself from an outburst; he hated being touched or touching others. A hiss of pain escaped him as he felt some healing ointment was being applied to his skull, head swimming a bit and it became hard to concentrate for a few seconds till Error had finished.

He was left with watching as Error walk away from him, little glitches popping up everywhere as he left Ink alone for now.

 **Okay…so I hope you like this beginning, I can't exactly promise updates but I will do my best.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, it seems that people like my fic so far…so I'll keep it up, as I said, updates may be far and few though. Depends on the inspiration and stuff.**

 **Strings That Hold Me Together**

 **Chapter 2**

 _Claws…pain and claws, the black creature with sharp claws caught him off guard while he was observing a universe. Ink cried out and summoned his attack, thousands of sharp paint brushes aimed toward the monster before him, eye glowing as he made the brushes stab at the creature. It's HP didn't seem to go down by very much by the looks of things. Ink's own HP wasn't fairing so well as he tried to attack again only to be knocked to the ground, the claw swiped harshly at his face…_

The next thing Ink was aware of was that he was waking up; his eyes blinded by the whiteness of the Anti-void, why was he here…what- oh yeah, the pain in his everywhere reminded him of the events that brought him here. Error wasn't too far from here he guessed, if the smell of food was something to go by. Ink hissed in pain as he tried to sit up enough, whimpering a little. "Lay down." Error's voice could be heard from behind him, earning a sigh from Ink. "I have to get up…" Ink said and squeaked as Error appeared in front of him with a cup of water. "W-what…" He watched as Error rolled his eyes, glaring at him a little. "Drink." He said.

Hesitantly, Ink took the cup and started drinking, almost greedily from how thirsty he was and how dry his throat felt. God it felt good to be rehydrated, water was so precious. "Thanks…" Ink said, looking at Error who just gave a little huff before picking him up and carrying him. Ink hissed a little but the pain was short lived when Error set him down in a comfortable little green bean bag chair…which was weird. Why was there a bean bag chair in the Anti-void? His thoughts were cut short when Error thrust a plate in his direction, the food looked so good.

Ink inspected it a bit before realizing the plate seemed to be fazing through his fingers, obviously not agreeing with his glitched coding; he quickly took the plate and looked at Error a moment with a small smile. "Thank you." He said and started eating his food, though he couldn't help but be a pig of himself and eat quickly. A blush graced his skeletal face and put the now empty plate on the ground before looking at Error who gave him a strange look. "Uhm…sorry…" Ink said, embarrassed that he had devoured the food like that, sure he hadn't eaten in a week practically but that was no excuse. It was just plain rude behavior.

Suddenly a thought occurred to him and he looked around. "Where did you get the food? You don't have a kitchen around here or anything…" Ink said, looking back at Error who just shrugged and did his best to eat his own, it didn't help that the plate was fazing through his glitched hands.

"Stole it from another universe." Error said, trying to eat from his plate.

Eyes widening, Ink looked over at him. "Y-you stole? Error you shouldn't steal, that isn't nice!" He reprimanded; he couldn't believe Error would do something like that.

"…How else, are we supposed to eat…?" Error asked, not understanding what Ink's deal was; he didn't have places to get food in the Anti-void…and he couldn't exactly get anything from his world after all. Ink could be a bit of an idiot at times, but he should realize that Error had no other way of getting things. He just went to the Undertale Universe to get what he needed when he needed and that was about it for him.

"Well…I mean…it's…." Ink frowned as he thought about it; he had no remark for that at the moment, a sigh escaped his lips as he looked at the other. "The plate is fazing through your hand Error; you're going to make a mess." He said, deciding to focus on something else.

An annoyed grunt passed Error's lips as he looked at the plate; his hand poking out from it, food getting onto his hands. "Nothing I can do about it." He said, annoyed, everything he touched did this and he could do nothing; his code didn't agree with anything he touched aside from food.

The creative skeleton watched him a moment before a thought occurred to him and he looked around for his brush, which seemed to be missing. "Error…where is my brush?" He asked, looking back over at Error who just sighed. "It's safe." Was all he could get out of the other.

What did that even mean, 'It's safe' didn't exactly help him any, hell for all he knew Error could have thrown it out somewhere and he couldn't do anything without it. He was in pretty deep if Error decided he was worth attacking or something, there was nothing he could use to defend himself. Not like he could do that with how much pain he was in at the moment anyway, but still he would like to try at least.

"But safe where?" Ink asked, watching as Error gave up on trying to eat, it didn't seem to be working out that much anyway. The plate just ended up shattering on the floor of the Anti-void, sipping its contents on the floor, was this a daily occurrence for the other? "Why do you need it now? You can't exactly go anywhere right now, your injured for crying out loud." Error said, getting annoyed with the other as he got up and looked away from him.

"I…wasn't going to use it for that…" Ink said, watching him. "You seem to have trouble with holding objects and…I thought I could help…" He said, hoping that would at least be enough to convince the other to bring his brush back to him or something, then maybe he could probably see about getting out of here. Being in here a week, it made him wonder how the other universes were fairing, had Error done anything to them; he guessed not since Mirror Sans hadn't done anything…does anyone else even know where he is right now? He sighed, letting the thoughts go for now, this wasn't something to fret over.

Error looked back at him a moment, almost debating on whether he should trust the other or not; he wasn't sure about this at all what so ever. Ink could end up in the same situation he had been before…wait, what the hell does he care anyway? They were enemies for crying out loud and he shouldn't give a care if Ink were to be injured or not! So why…why had he even reached out to help Ink in the first place…that was the biggest mystery he had to solve at the moment.

Alright…so Ink thought he could help him, to be perfectly honest he was tired of things fazing through his glitched up hands. He was tired of not being able to hold something for more than two minutes till it fazes through, it was horrible and it made him super angry. "Fine." Error said before disappearing from the Anti-void for a moment.

Perhaps a moment alone will help him with his thoughts or something…why?

Just why?

Why the hell was he helping Ink get better when all they did was fight; he destroyed things while Ink did nothing but create…create those nasty glitches that didn't deserve life at all! He needed to calm down, it wouldn't do any good to act like this…no; he needed to focus on other things at the moment…what was he even trying to get? Oh right…Ink's brush.

He grabbed it from his hiding place and headed back to the Anti-void to bring it back to Ink. "Here." He said, thrusting it at the other who gave a surprised squeak as it was pushed into his face all of the sudden. "Thanks!" Ink said happily and hugged the brush close, grunting in pain but ignored it in favor of holding his brush in his arms.

 **Well, looks like I have another chapter up, uh…wonder what Ink had planned. Sounds like he may try to leave. Uh-oh…Hmm…not sure how that will pan out.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Uh…this chapter didn't go the way I had expected it to, to be honest. I was expecting for Ink to maybe try and work on escaping but uh…instead we get to be with Error for a bit and well, nothing wrong with that. Also, I realized I forgot the disclaimer, though I'm sure we all know I'm not Toby Fox or the creators of Error or Ink.**

 **Strings That Hold Me Together**

 **Chapter 3**

Ink hummed softly as he started painting things much to Error's chagrin, it didn't make sense as to why the other was making rooms when he was hurting like hell; he couldn't understand what was going through the creative one's mind. Sure, the Anti-void was pretty bland to look at…just plain white surrounding…but that's all Error needed. An annoyed groan escaped him as he watched the other, practically finished making a house from the looks of it; he could also see that it was practically draining Ink of energy.

With a roll of his eyes Error stood, god this guy was an idiot…didn't he realize he would be in more pain later? He shouldn't even be moving! How did he even get the strength to do this with how injured he was? Yep…it was definitely a mistake to let Ink have his brush back again, how stupid of him to bring that back while the other was still healing. Not to mention his soul was still shattered while his strings held it together, slowly healing, though he doubted it helped that he was being active.

He was brought out of his thoughts when the huge brush fell from Ink's arms and he clutched his chest, groaning in pain. Error stood and went to him. "You idiot, you weren't supposed to be moving around just yet." He said, glitching a bit as he grabbed the other. A pained cry came from Ink and he looked up at Error. "H-hurts…" He whimpered, weakly trying to get out of his hold, but he seemed a little too weak to do so at the moment. "I-inside…" Ink whimpered, pointing into the house he had just finished making.

"Why did you even make this stupid thing?" Error asked, sighing as he picked the other up and took him inside, laying him on the couch. Things felt different…different than when he went to some other universe. Usually it felt like he would just glitch through the code or something...no this…the structure felt solid under him, no melting through. He didn't know how to feel about this right now…it was…it was a feeling he didn't know how to describe at the moment.

No, right now he couldn't focus on some silly thing, how he felt didn't matter at the moment.

What was he trying to do…?

What…

Error was brought back to reality, feeling the shivering skeleton in his arms…oh that's right. Ink. Ink was more important right now than some silly feeling that wasn't relevant right now, after a moment he laid the other on a…was that a couch? It had been a while since he had been on a couch, well aside from trying to sit on one recently and fazing through it. He hated being what he was at times, a sigh escaped him as he felt himself almost forgetting Ink again and set him down on the couch. "Show me your soul." He said, glaring at Ink only getting an uncertain reaction from the other. "Just show it to me." He said, getting annoyed.

After a moment Ink sighed and hesitantly let his string covered soul out, it was leaking a bit, though that was to be expected considering he overdid himself. Error debated with himself on letting the strings go from his soul, though he was afraid that if he did then…would his soul be healed enough? He had the healing magic…it's just that he hadn't used it in a very long time, what if it was as glitched as he was?

Oh what the hell; he guessed it wouldn't hurt to try using a bit of his healing magic, it may help his soul heal a bit more. Ever so slowly Error began removing the strings that were tied around the other's soul, making sure nothing happened as he unraveled it. It had been pretty bad before he used his strings to bind it and keep it from shattering…as he looked at it now, his soul was in very bad need of healing. Sighing; he took the soul in his hands, all the scarring was there…it just looked like the soul could fall apart at any moment.

Error closed his eyes and concentrated on using his healing magic, hands glowing a bit of green, but it was faint and he didn't use too much. No, it was best to not use too much of his healing power because his magic was probably just as corrupt as he was. When he finished he looked at the soul in his hands, the cracks seemed to be doing a little better, except for a tiny one that didn't particularly look very good. He had kept a string attached there just in case that one hadn't healed up very well.

Once he finished he wrapped his strings back around Ink's soul; he could tell the other wasn't particularly happy about that, but it was best he kept the strings around him just in case. He wasn't about to let the other out of the Anti-void till he was completely healed. "T-Thanks…" Ink said weakly as he looked up at Error. "Stop thanking me." He said, going to work on bandaging him up again, though he had to admit he sort of like the thanks…but he wouldn't just admit that.

As soon as he finished bandaging the other up he put the stuff away, there was no way he was using more of his healing magic at the moment; he wouldn't. "Next time, don't over exert yourself, listen to me." Error said, crossing his arms as he glared at Ink who just stared at him; he couldn't understand what was up with the other, Ink was so frustrating! After a moment he walked away, not in the mood to deal with the other at the moment, though it did sort of give him time to look around at his new surroundings he guessed.

Why had Ink even bothered to make this place? It was just going to get in Error's way…a stupid house that he didn't need. No, a stupid house that would just go through his fingers later, never to agree with his glitchey problem later.

Though…right now? He guessed he could deal with this for a bit, at least humor the other and explore maybe. The house seemed…nice he supposed, it had been a while since he had been in one of course and had nothing to really compare it to. He supposed he should be grateful again, after all he wasn't fazing through it, that isn't to say he probably won't later. It was best he didn't get attached to this thing. As he walked through the hall he did test himself, touching the walls and things, waiting a moment before letting go. It was…it was strange; he didn't know how to feel about this…it was; he didn't know how to describe this right now but…it just was something!

Ink smiled a little as he watched Error walk around; sighed and laid his head back, god he couldn't believe he had worked himself like that. He guessed he had just become a little too excited about having his brush, especially wanting to help the other. He was glad that the other seemed to like what he had made, despite pretending that he didn't care about it in the least. He had figured out that his paint didn't fight with Error's code like everything else in other worlds, and he thought the other would like it. Things were solid for Error now, where they hadn't ever been before and Ink was glad he had helped him, maybe now Error wouldn't be so angry about things.

His thoughts returned to his soul and sighed; he had seen it after Error had taken the strings off and…he doubted he could go far. Escape wasn't an option for now, not with how his soul looked from under the strings, they were practically holding him together. And to think, everyone was saying not long ago Error was nothing but a problem…here he was, proving he was so much more than a destroyer. Ink had always seen the good in everyone, in everything no less…and to be honest he saw the good in Error, it was way down deep…but dammit, it was there.

Sure enough...he had been proven right, though he wasn't sure how long it would last; he at least got to see it for now. Escaping wasn't an option at the moment, no…doing it now would just be a death sentence since he couldn't use his powers for long. He couldn't believe he had practically keeled over in exhaustion like that…he had way more energy than that usually. Okay, for now he would just deal with this, Error wasn't so bad after all; he was actually quite fun to be around.

Despite his anger issues and glaring, yes, he could deal with this for however long he had to be here. All Error needed was a friend, and a friend he would be for sure! He would giggle giddily if he could at the moment, but after all that; he was just so damn tired and a nap just sounded like an all-around great idea right now.

Soon Ink found him falling asleep, trying not to move too much, his soul still kind of hurt from overworking himself today, but at least he sort of made the other happy.

 **So uh…there we go. The chapter didn't go as I planned from start to finish, but meh, you know. Things never go as planned. I'm sorry if the story sucks so far but I do try to make my stories last long.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, so I realize a lot of people seem to like the sinning to come early on, but you see…I like to drag these things out…so I do apologize if my story is too slow. I like them how I like them. And that…is how I like them. Also, I mean…It's not like it could take long anyway! The chapters just turn out how they happen. I also have one friend asking if I'm going to be adding Paper Jam and honestly, I don't plan my fics out too well, so I don't know. Will this turn into an mpreg? Meh…idk. Will there be sex? Meh…maybe, though I'm not good at sex scenes.**

 **Strings That Hold Me Together**

 **Chapter 4**

It wasn't happening…it just wasn't, and it was very strange and he didn't know how to deal with it!

What was the point?

Error had stayed up practically all night, testing out these things that Ink had made…normally when he touched things for huge amount of time he glitched through. What was Ink playing at with all of this? He just…god Error just couldn't understand any of this at all! He spent all his time away from things so he wouldn't have to touch them, it all just reminded of him of what he was unable to do, and he hated it so much! Were the things Ink made…different code? His hands never seemed to glitch through them…when all he did was glitch when touching normal things.

He hated it, hated everything…never being able to touch things was a horrible existence and, gods, the anger that came with it. He remembered when he was unable to keep something in his hands for very long that all he would see was red. Angry enough to destroy entire universes because he couldn't do what those Sans' could do! He found it hard to explain the feelings he had felt back then. Just an overwhelming sense of sadness that never seemed to go away…and ripping apart things just made him…happy? Crushing soul upon soul with his strings…god what power…

But…

But now…

There was just this overwhelming emotion he felt, being able to touch something, to have it be solid in his hand! Holding onto it tightly just to make sure that he wasn't…that he wasn't dreaming this craziness that was right in front of him. How did, geez…how did Ink do this? How did he just create something like this? How the hell did it agree with his code? His fucking glitched up code, that for the life of him…not even he could figure out for crying out loud! He couldn't describe the emotion he felt right now…but all he knew is that he hadn't felt it in years!

Years that no person in their right mind could imagine without going the slightest bit mad! Not being able to touch anything without it slipping through you within seconds! Not being able to see your friends and family because they too got destroyed with your universe! Error could never stand it to be honest, after everything that happened…he just couldn't bear it. Those universes, no, those dirty glitches started appearing and he just had to destroy them because that's just what they were.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard shuffling from what he assumed to be the living room he set Ink in, at least he assumed it was. It had been a long time since he had been in a house after all, and he didn't remember room names. He made his way toward the living room and saw that Ink was trying to sit up, ugh…why can't Ink listen to him for once? All he asked was for the other to rest…and he supposed he had…it had been a few hours after all.

Had it really? Man, he couldn't believe he had spaced out for that long! And just because he was touching things. As soon as he reached the room in question he stared directly at the creator of universes sternly. "You need to lay down, do not use up as much energy as you did yesterday." Error said, crossing his arms as he looked at the other, who gave a little sigh as he laid back on the couch with a small whine and pouting eyes.

Dammit…what is that?

What the hell is that look that he's giving?

Pouting? Is he trying to act like a child?

"I was just sitting up Error, I think I'm allowed to do that." Ink argued and looked at him, face going…thankfully…back to that normal look of his. "Still." Error replied and looked away. "I'll go make some food." He said before leaving to go to the…was it a kitchen…? Either way; he was going to make food for the both of them. To appease Ink, he would forgo the stealing food from another universe…which he may or may not plan to destroy later. Of course he would wait for a while, once Ink was gone and not causing him to have little heart attacks…dammit Ink.

Before Error got anything out he went back to Ink, ignoring his little issue with touches as he helped the other up and led him to the kitchen. Why? Why was he subjecting himself to this torture so that Ink wouldn't be injured again? Honestly he didn't think he had the answers to that like he thought he would.

Once he set Ink down he began working on making them both breakfast; he looked at the fridge and…it was stocked. He guessed he shouldn't be surprised, Ink make the place and of course he would fill the fridge with food he guessed. A sigh escaped him as he started making breakfast, eggs and bacon…two things that he himself hadn't had in a long time. After all he had been going to another universe to take food…mainly from the Undertale Universe, like hell he would step foot in the other universes and take food from them; they weren't perfect.

Error's thoughts were stopped when he heard Ink give a small hum, like he was humming to the tune of some music; he glanced over to see Ink was looking at some papers. He recognized them as the other universes and rolled his eyes, this was something he didn't quite understand. Ink didn't see that the universes were just dirty glitches like he did, it felt as though Ink couldn't see the truth at all. They didn't deserve to exist…none of them except the original universe did and every time he tried to get rid of them…

There he went again…he really needed to calm down; he needed to forget about the nasty glitches…needed to focus on making breakfast. The food was starting to smell pretty good, it had been a while since he had smelled food as it cooked but he did pretty good. Just focus on cooking, the delicious scent of food was enough to distract him from his angered thoughts. He could deal with this, it was nice. A small smile graced his face…if he thought about it…a genuine smile hadn't come to him in a long time either.

Once the food was good and cooked he put the plates on the table and started serving the food. "Error…" Ink's voice called to him through his millions of thoughts going through his mind at a million miles a minute. "What is it?" Error asked, sitting down at the table…again...the feeling of being solid in a chair…it was… "Did you sleep at all last night?" Ink asked, interrupting his thought process once again with his pointless dribble and conversation. "Maybe." Error said, a little annoyed that his thought process had been interrupted. "Probably not…" He stated.

"No, no I didn't." Error said after a moment, taking the fork in his hand and started trying to eat his food. It tasted wonderful, the best he had ever had…and here he was making his own food after several times of stealing Toriel's in Tale. "Why not?" Ink asked. What the hell was up with his interruptions? Didn't Ink care that he was interrupting. "I don't know." Error shrugged and thought about it for a moment before answering the question as truthfully as he could. "This is disconcerting…this…all of this…" He stated, looking down at his food.

Ink tilted his head as he stared at the other, taking a bite of his own food. "Disconcerting?" He asked, looking a little confused. Of course he looked confused; he didn't understand what Error was going through in the very least and it annoyed him. "You don't get it." Error said after a moment, looking away as he ate, frowning a little. "You've been able to touch things all this time." He stated. "You…you don't understand how it is to have things moving through your hands and you have no control over it."

"Oh…" Ink said, furrowing his nonexistent brow for a moment. "I think I get it…your code, it doesn't agree with most everything." He smiled a little. "But now you can and you don't know how to feel about it."

Error crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, astute observation Ink…the guy deserved an applause or something. "Pretty much. It…I don't…" He couldn't understand what Ink was trying to do and it annoyed the holy hell out of him at the moment. "Why did you do this?" He asked, the question coming out a bit angry than it should have he guessed. Dammit, all he had done was destroy all Ink had been working on, all those idiotic little universes that deserved nothing but death. And yet…and yet Ink does this!

This stupid little gift that would most likely just backfire on him later on. Who knows! Maybe…maybe it'll react the same way everything else does to him after a while. Why did it this stupid thing even matter to him anyway? "Because." Ink said, once again…interrupting Error's thought process. "Because…I figured it was better than being unable to hold or touch something…your code doesn't agree with normal things…and well, my ink isn't exactly coded the same way that other things are." Ink shrugged, looking at him.

"Why…why do you want to help me when all I've ever done is kill and destroy universes left and right? You don't make any sense Ink." Error said, glaring at the other.

A goofy grin appeared on the other's face, one which…Error almost…he almost found it to be cute…what the fuck…where did that little thought even come from? "Because, despite everything you've done." Ink said, crossing his arms, sitting back in his seat as he looked at Error. "I still see the good in you, I know it's there, Error." He stated and went back to eating his food.

"How…" Error asked, god why was Ink being so annoying with these answers. Good? Error doubted he had any good left, who in their right mind was good if they destroyed everything they got their hands on? Killed everyone they despised…

"How?" Ink asked, tilting his head again, as if thinking about his answer before even speaking again. "If there wasn't good in you…then you wouldn't have saved me, you would have just let me die by the hands of that creature." He said and finished eating his food, going back to looking over his papers that contained the universes.

 **We've made progress…again Error's thoughts are scattered, this is just how I see him. I do hope you enjoyed it. I'm like steadily making each chapter a little longer each time. I love long chapters. A story with short chapters…it feels like nothing gets done, you know? I feel as though there was something actually done in this chapter. Good things are happening, I see it.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm glad you did enjoy, now here's another chapter! I had a bit of writer's block but I was at work one day and shit started coming to me…so here goes.**

 **Strings That Hold Me Together**

 **Chapter 5**

Ink had a tendency to see the beauty in everything, from the smallest of things to the biggest of things no matter how ugly it could be. Now, that isn't to say that what he found beauty in wasn't beautiful in its own way or anything. Beauty did come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and it didn't take much to see beauty in almost everything that existed in all universes. This…this was how he felt when it came to Error, despite what he had been through, despite what he had done…Error was a beautiful creature.

As he sat on the couch, string covered soul in hand, looking at each crack beneath the strings that literally held his soul together he contemplated things. The glitched up skeleton deserved as much positivity as other things he treasured, treated as though he mattered. Of course Error mattered, must because he was a destroyer didn't mean that he was nothing more than what he set about to be. No one deserves to be feared…no one deserves to be lonely like Error was, not even Error did, even if he had destroyed things.

A small smile appeared on his face as he looked at Error who had fallen asleep on the couch after much convincing. The other needed the rest, especially after he had stayed up all night trying to figure out how he could be solid against things. He had to admit that Error kind of looked cute as he slept, head resting on the arm of the sofa, curled up and peaceful. He doubted Error ever had much peace with how things were for him, how he had been hurting after his world just became corrupted.

Error had two sides to him, at least that's what Ink had observed after many years of knowing him and getting to hang out with him now. Yes…Error was a destroyer, there were times he would just go on a killing spree for no apparent reason. Well…no reason that Ink could think of at least, then again he didn't know Error's mind very well, so he couldn't judge him. It amazed him though, that Error seemed to be a nice person underneath that extremely rough exterior of his. To tell the truth, he though Error could do some good.

Humming softly, Ink settled back into the couch and rested, careful of his injuries that were still slowly healing up; his thoughts filled with Error. How the other seemed to be showing off a different side than what Ink was used to seeing with him. It didn't take long for Ink to be lulled to sleep with his very last thoughts being about how he was glad things seemed okay with Error.

~~oo~~

The vibration of a phone awoke Ink from his slumber an hour later and he looked at his caller ID to see it was Mirror. The other was probably worried after not hearing from him for…how long had he been here again? A week and a few days he guessed. A sigh escaped him as he looked to see Error was still asleep and he went to go to the other room to answer.

"Hello Mirror, sorry I haven't been in contact for a while..." Ink answered.

"Ink, where are you? I haven't had any reports from you in a while and I was starting to get worried." Mirror's voice sounded the other end of the line, okay…so maybe Ink had completely forgotten about calling. It had completely slipped his mind, but at least in the process he had gotten to see things that he didn't get to see otherwise. "Yeah…sorry about that, I sort of ran into some trouble." Ink said and sighed a little, it wasn't like he was intending on it or anything.

There was silence on the other line for a moment before Mirror answered him. "What kind of trouble? Is it Error? I swear, that asshole…" Mirror said, sounding very annoyed. "We really need to do something about him Ink."

Ink rubbed his skull a little, careful not to touch the healing crack. "It wasn't Error." He said and sat on the bed in the room. "There was this new universe that appeared and I wanted to explore it, see what it was…" He added and closed his eyes as he tried to remember the specifics. "While exploring I was attacked by this creature…I didn't get a good look at it, but I was in pretty bad condition at the end of it. I probably would have been dusted if Error hadn't gotten involved in the fight."

"Wait, Error…saved you?" Mirror asked, his voice full of disbelief at the situation. "You were injured you said?"

Was it really so hard to believe that Error could be a good person if he really tried? God, it annoyed him how little faith people seemed to have in the glitched version of Sans. Yes; he had destroyed worlds, almost killed Mirror's brother and would have killed Mirror had Ink not got involved maybe. Either way, that was all in the past and shouldn't matter.

"I am, but it wasn't because of Error." Ink said. "This creature in the universe I was looking at sort of attacked me, my soul was pretty close to shattering…still is." He explained, earning a gasp on the other end of the line.

"You've been gone a week and three days Ink, where are you?" Mirror asked. "I can't seem to find you on my mirrors."

Ink rolled his eyes at his worried tone and gave an exasperated sigh as he listened to the other, what good could Mirror do right now. "With Error, if it weren't for him I would be dust…so I kind of owe him my life in a way." He shrugged. "I'm all bandaged up and I'm literally being held together by string so…"

He could practically hear the frown as the other spoke and rolled his eyes; he was not in the mood to listen to Mirror ramble on about how Error was evil. Okay, so the others may not see what he sees all the time, and that was very annoying. Others only saw things for what they were and he guessed he couldn't blame people for acting the way they did around certain people. They just didn't seem to have Ink's eyes, and he sort of wished other people did to be honest.

"But listen Ink, I think Error's been out destroying a few universes…there's been a few of them disappearing or being destroyed." Mirror said after a moment.

"No." Ink said, suddenly worried. "No, Error has been with me the whole time aside to stop off somewhere to get food once. Listen, I'll go check it out." He assured and sighed. "I should go, I'll look into this and see what Error Says." He said and hung up before the other could argue; his thoughts turned to Error, had he done anything while Ink was out of commission? One thing was for sure; he needed to at least speak with Error about this and investigate what was going on.

"Ink?" Said skeleton jumped at the mention of his name and looked behind him. "I'm sorry Error…did I wake you?" He asked, putting his phone back in his pocket.

"No, I just woke up and you weren't there…so I looked." Error said, studying the other a moment before Ink spoke up, clearing his throat beforehand. "Um…Error, did you go destroy a few universes while I was in that little coma?" He asked, earning a shrug from the other. "No, I was more focused on getting you better to be honest." He said, not seeming concerned with the little question he was asked.

Ink stayed silent and he frowned, trying to figure out what had caused the problem if Error hadn't done anything. "What's this about?" The other asked and Ink sighed. "Something is destroying universes…and if it's not you then it has to be something…" He said and looked at Error who rolled his eyes, leaving the room. "Well it certainly isn't me, but I think I know what it is." He said and the other followed him out of the room. "Well…who is it then?" Ink asked, crossing his arms.

Error only glanced back at him. "The creature that attacked you."

 **Does this count as a cliffhanger? I've never been a good judge when it comes to my work lol…anyway, this chapter is way shorter than I intended, I wanted it to be about 2000 words or more but this is just as good. I'm not exactly happy with how the chapter turned out to be honest…but I hope you like it. Thank you for reading my fic, I'm so glad people like it.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I apologize for the long wait dudes and dudets! I've been a bit preoccupied with trying to find some fanfic that I would like to read! I'm extremely picky with what I read sometimes and it sucks. Anyway, I'm back at it and uh…as much as I want to reply to one comment I'll just hold back. I've been also super busy doing a one-shot and roleplaying like crazy and I just haven't felt like writing a fic. I get this way sometimes, it's horrible.**

 **Strings That Hold Me Together**

 **Chapter 6**

Ink frowned at those words, the creature that had attacked him was the one causing all this mess with the universes? He needed to seriously get out of here and work on trying to fix what had gone wrong, those poor universes…god, he had failed. That sinking feeling in his nonresistant gut just settled and he was so upset with himself right now. He needed to go out there and defeat this thing sooner or later, before anyone else got hurt or died because he wasn't there.

This is what he was afraid of, things not turning out right because he had practically been laying down on the job! Stars, why did he have to be so caught up in trying to prove to himself that Error could be a good person if he tried? No, hell…he knew Error could be a good person, even if he didn't warn the artist about the issue with the monster that attacked. Oh…Ink had never felt so furious in his life yet just purely…well, to be honest he had no idea what he felt. All he knew was that he was annoyed that Error had kept this information to himself, and to what? Protect Ink from injuring himself further? At that very moment, Ink didn't give a crap about any of that…those worlds…they were in trouble…deep trouble.

"Error, we have to do something!" He said, crossing his arms. "We can't just sit here and do nothing while another universe goes missing." He said and went off to go find his brush…which apparently that string wielding skeleton hid…again. Stars, this was just so frustrating. "We?" Error snorted. "Like hell I'm going to let you out of here while your soul is injured." Ink looked at him as he spoke and groaned in annoyance. "Why? Why the hell not Error? Why do you even care about my wellbeing anyway?"

Error gave him a board look and shrugged. "Don't see what all the fuss is about. Just stop questioning and rest. For once will you just listen?" He sighed.

"No." Ink said and Error looked at him.

"What?"

"You heard me Error." Ink turned away from him and continued his search for his brush, couldn't Error see that he just couldn't sit. He couldn't sit and let whatever was happening, happen any longer to any other world. He couldn't just give up on the worlds that he had helped bring to life…he couldn't just stand by and let this happen any longer.

"I heard you." Error said. "But you can't go out there, your soul isn't ready, you'll have another episode of almost passing out."

There was a hint of worry in Error's voice, it was just barely there but Ink could pick up that tiny bit of worry that came out. A sigh escaped Ink's throat, oh how he hated being treated like he was some child, along with being cooped up. Most importantly, all be damned if he couldn't find his brush so he could leave to take care of whatever this was that was destroying. As much as he hadn't wanted to escape, there was just no way he could be a good patient and stay where he was.

Error shook his head as he watched the spectacle before him, what the hell was up with Ink and wanting to save those wastes of space? Okay, so they were precious to him in some way or whatever, but that didn't mean that they were truly important. What purpose did these other worlds have, what did they possibly stand for that Ink just had to save them? Either way…this was just some stupid issue, but what Ink said next made him stop in his tracks and look at him in a bit of horror.

"I realize you don't care about those universes but I know your super fond of the original universe, what if this thing attacks that? Do you realize that they could be in just as much trouble as those other ones? You should care Error!" Ink replied and Error frowned, dammit! Why did Ink have to think about that? Ugh…

Didn't the other understand just a tiny bit at least? He couldn't do anything with his injuries for crying out loud.

"I'm sorry Error…but we need to save go save the universes from being destroyed now, I know I have some healing to do but this is important." Ink said and Error groaned in annoyance as he rubbed his skull a little. "Your health is way more important than…but…the original…and…"

Ink could tell that Error was having a hard time with this, torn between keeping Ink safe and saving the universes. "Now, tell me where the hell my brush is because we really need to go take care of this little problem before it gets big." He said, hating how he was making Error glitch out right now. But if he could just push Error into this…maybe, just maybe he could get him to finally see his way! Manipulation wasn't something he liked to do, but he needed to just go do something, work on getting things normal at least.

A sigh escaped him and he started walking away, not waiting for Error to answer him as he looked around. Stars, he needed to really find that brush because the more time he took searching for it the more things would just go wrong. It worried him deeply that he was powerless to do anything right now while everyone was suffering…it made him feel horrible. "Fine." He looked up when he heard the word, did Error just…did he give him the go ahead after fighting to do so? Oh he just wanted to hug Error right now for finally coming to his senses!

After a moment Ink squealed and practically tackled Error who gave a cry as they fell to the floor in a little heap. The darker skeleton looked up at Ink with wide eyes, unsure of what was happening right now, a little scared of touches still. "Oops!" Ink blushed and got up off of Error, giggling happily as he couldn't help but fist bump the air. "Alright Error, can you please tell me where is my brush is?" Error rolled his eyes and sighed as he snapped his fingers and disappeared for a moment before reappearing with it.

It looked undamaged, thank good ness…he couldn't do anything if it was damaged beyond repair as it held his magic. "Thank you Error~" He said happily and took the brush, hugging it close to his body with a little happy purr. It felt just so amazing to hold it in his arms once again, to be able to create what he needed at a moment's notice if need be. Stars, the urge to hug Error close was just so prominent right now but he felt he had touched the other too much. If he over stepped his want to hug him then he doubted Error would be compliant still.

He needed to watch that…yeah, make sure he kept the hugging to a minimum…he could do that.

After all, the last thing he needed was Error to glitch out and over react to things.

Okay…next he needed to figure out which AU's had ended up hurt by the monster that had attacked them. Soon papers were all around him and now he could have a better look at all the AU's that were in existence. They all looked fairly normal…some resetting or others just going on with whatever was going on and…looked like it was Understale. It was a mess of code and pieces were just everywhere…stars it was horrible and he felt tears coming to his eyes.

What…

What the hell…

Are you serious, right now?

Had he lost his mind?

Error rolled his eyes as he saw what AU Ink was upset over losing, it was an AU of bread for fuck sake…it wasn't important. "Are you seriously shedding tears over an AU where everyone is made of bread?" He asked, crossing his arms. This has got to be one of the stupidest things he had seen Ink do in his life…and there were a lot of stupid things he had seen. What the hell had he gotten himself into…what was even going through Ink's mind that he wanted to fix this? A universe of bread wasn't that much of a loss if he had something to say about the whole ordeal.

It's just bread! It wasn't important, they could all get fucking soggy for all he cared!

"It's still important!" Ink said. "Just because the characters are bread doesn't mean that the universe doesn't deserve to live Error!" He said and Error face palmed, this had to be some stupid little prank...someone had to be messing with him.

"It's just bread." Error stated, not seeing what the problem was with losing said universe, one drop of rain and poof, bread was moldy and soggy…and ugh…gross. Now said bread was a pile of code and not worth saving…but don't tell Ink that, oh no. "It's not just bread!" Ink groaned and turned to him. "You don't get it Error! The universe is…we have to…before things get even worse we need to get rid of this monster!" He yelled.

Okay, it's official…Ink had lost his shit.

This was just crazy; he sighed and crossed his arms as he looked at Ink, rolling his eyes a little. "Look, you want to go save a universe, lets save one that's worth saving." He said and Ink grumbled putting his papers away. "They're all worth saving Error." The paint brush hauling skeleton replied before stopping and looking at one of the other papers. "Swap, we have to go to Swap!" He said before using his brush to make a portal and jumping in right away before Error could even say anything.

Oh please…not that stupid backwards underground; he could just barely stand to go there on a good day! He sighed and went through the portal behind him, god this was going to be a pain in his ass, of all things he had to do. Why did he have to go and save Ink's ass…when he could have just watched the spectacle of him possibly dying. He didn't know the answer to that at the moment, but he did hope that he didn't have to deal with having to save universes he hated.

Soon they were in the snowy landscape of Snowdin and he stood beside Ink. "Well?" He sighed and Ink looked at him. "Let's go..." He said and started heading toward where the disturbance was being felt. The monster was hidden within the wooded area from what Error could tell, though it was a bit hard to distinguish since it was trying to be well hidden.

"There." Error said and Ink nodded, heading toward the woods; he could tell Ink was nervous…hell it was radiating. Error didn't know if Ink would be able to fight this monster and it in turn was making him a little nervous. He was going to have to keep watch over the other, especially with how his soul was still being held together, this wasn't going to be easy. Hell, it was going to be far from easy and Error found that he really hated how Ink just wanted to go head first into this stupid mess. What Ink should be doing was resting like he was supposed to instead of rushing off to go save universes that didn't deserve it in the least because they were stupid glitches.

Just then a huge roar was heard and Error cursed as claws started breaking the trees, the huge creature right in front of them. It's huge devilish red eyes stared down at them as its teeth were bared and ready to bite down on anything. Error brought out his strings and grabbed each one of the monster's limbs, though he was having trouble keeping hold. There were suddenly several pointed tip brushes aiming toward the monster as Error's strings held onto it and they rushed toward the monster only for the attack to miss.

The monster growled, one of its arms breaking free from its binds only to smack Ink into the snow, Error cursed…he knew this was a bad idea! Dammit Ink.

 **Okay um…yeah, so I brought some humor into it…I mean I know I'm making fun of a universe. Geez, I hope the creator of said AU doesn't get offended or something. I know it was created for the lol's but you never know. Well, I hope you like.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, so I may be a bit cliffhanger happy, lol. I apologize for taking so long.**

 **Strings That Hold Me Together**

 **Chapter 7**

 _~Previously on Strings That Hold Me Together~_

 _Soon they were in the snowy landscape of Snowdin and he stood beside Ink. "Well?" He sighed and Ink looked at him. "Let's go..." He said and started heading toward where the disturbance was being felt. The monster was hidden within the wooded area from what Error could tell, though it was a bit hard to distinguish since it was trying to be well hidden._

" _There." Error said and Ink nodded, heading toward the woods; he could tell Ink was nervous…hell it was radiating. Error didn't know if Ink would be able to fight this monster and it in turn was making him a little nervous. He was going to have to keep watch over the other, especially with how his soul was still being held together, this wasn't going to be easy. Hell, it was going to be far from easy and Error found that he really hated how Ink just wanted to go head first into this stupid mess. What Ink should be doing was resting like he was supposed to instead of rushing off to go save universes that didn't deserve it in the least because they were stupid glitches._

 _Just then a huge roar was heard and Error cursed as claws started breaking the trees, the huge creature right in front of them. It's huge devilish red eyes stared down at them as its teeth were bared and ready to bite down on anything. Error brought out his strings and grabbed each one of the monster's limbs, though he was having trouble keeping hold. There were suddenly several pointed tip brushes aiming toward the monster as Error's strings held onto it and they rushed toward the monster only for the attack to miss._

 _The monster growled, one of its arms breaking free from its binds only to smack Ink into the snow, Error cursed…he knew this was a bad idea! Dammit Ink._

Error did his best to keep the creature at bay, strings wrapping around the limb that had previously gotten free from them. Black blasters formed and began charging up, little squares of glitched code popping up in a few places. Okay, if he could just defeat this thing then he wouldn't have to be in this universe anymore, wouldn't have to deal with this anymore. The creature growled and tried it's best to get free before suddenly being engulfed in blasts from all over, and while that went on Error went over to Ink.

Oh, that idiot, why the hell was he even doing this? He could just imagine Ink turning to dust and it freaked him the hell out. As he made his way over the other sat up weakly and rubbed his skull where he had one of his injuries from before. "What the hell, were you even thinking?!" The black skeleton growled and grabbed a hold of the collar of Ink's shirt in anger. God, why did he even attempt to try and keep this guy safe when all he wanted to do was rush off. He could tell the other was about to reply but he turned away when he heard the creature growl in anger, well this wasn't good at all. The thing that scared Error the most at the moment was the fact that he couldn't see this thing's HP…

This creature, this thing…it didn't seem to have a reading which could help him in defeating the ugly little thing. "Oh, this is disgusting…" He grumbled as he glared. "You dirty glitch!" He said as he stood and got ready to attack the monster. The thing is, it did look like he did at least some considerable damage…just not enough to slow the stupid thing down by much. Strings shot out again and grabbed the creature by the neck, Error's eyes widened as he watched the paint brushes gather again, this time letting out blasts. It looked like paint…but as it hit the monster the paint seemed to have cut it. The creature seemed to have gained damage from the attack, what looked like blood seemed to be oozing out of its wounds.

His blasters continued to go off, trying to get rid of the creature as he concentrated on Ink, who seemed to be stumbling. The other was weak and it didn't exactly help with the state his soul was currently in right now. "You're an idiot, this was a bad idea." Error berated, earning an annoyed huff from the other he went over to him. "I'm an idiot for letting you come." Ink sighed and looked at him. "But it was important that we come here to save this universe." He said and looked behind Error, eyes widened. "E-Error…"

The glitched skeleton followed his eyes and cursed as the creature got away from the blasters and headed toward them. Damn…what to do? This thing just didn't seem to want to go down and Error was getting super annoyed. The least this thing could do was act like his attacks were doing damage to him…well they were, just not as much as he hoped. But he did hope that the damned thing would go down sooner or later, this whole ordeal was getting ridiculous.

As the creature neared, Error got in front of Ink, grabbing the other's brush since he hadn't picked it up just yet. Admittedly he was half expecting it to glitch through him like everything else did but then he remembered Ink's stuff didn't. Obviously, but still it was nice to not have something phase though your fingers like you were nothing but code…

Okay…no…

Stop it, ugh…why was he even thinking about that right now?

His eyes went from the brush to the monsters before them, little glitches formed along him and he growled a little. "You shouldn't exist." He grumbled out as he tossed the brush back to Ink before going to fight the creature again. He didn't care how long it took but he really needed to get this creature to die and not cause any more issues than it already had. "Dirty, disgusting, you waste of literal space." His words getting distorted with every word as he glared the creature. "It certainly shouldn't be living and he was going to make sure that it didn't live for very long to infect more of the world. He concentrated despite his mind glitching out, strings forming around every appendage that the creature had available.

Its neck held by thick blue strings, legs and arms as well, the tail that it had was wrapped up just as tightly with them. Error noticed the paint brushes again and glanced back at Ink who had taken his brush back, standing up as he worked. "Use your strings." Ink said, voice shaky…obviously, this was taking a bunch of energy, which wasn't exactly good. But wait…was the other suggesting combining attacks so they could both fight the creature? Admittedly that would be interesting, but he hoped the other had enough power to do so…

That had to be a great idea though; he hummed and made his strings wrap around each of the brushes that were in the air. They were poised and ready for attack as his strings turned into what looked like a net with what seemed to be thick strings. There was no way the monster was going to escape it if the damn thing tried to, at least he hoped it wouldn't do that. His thoughts were interrupted when Ink made his brushes go and…imbed themselves in the ground around it. Okay, at least the monster was trapped and it wouldn't be of any problem…at least that was what he had been hoping. For one thing, it was hard to tell how strong this damn thing was…and how long it had till it would be dusted like it freaking deserved.

"Oh stars…not you." A familiar voice said from behind him and Error froze before rolling his eyes and turning to the figure.

That damn near annoying Papyrus lookalike with his damn orange hoody with honey stains…cigarette in his mouth. Disgusting…filthy…ugh…the most disgusting Papyrus, the one that was swapped personalities with Tale Sans.

"I'm not thrilled about this either, dirty glitch." Error grumbled and Ink gave a huff. "I don't care if you've got a history, we still have to get rid of this thing before it causes more problems than it already has."

Stretch went over and helped Ink up, frowning. "You look like shit Ink…" He said, earning a small sigh from the creative skeleton. "I feel like it, but that's neither here nor there." Ink replied as he dusted himself off and went to grab his brush.

"Undyne caught a weird anomaly at the lab, said it was here in Snowdin…this must be it huh…" Stretch's eyes went back to the monster.

"Damn thing attacked Ink, I practically begged Ink not to come and the idiot did." Error grumbled as little errors fizzled around him.

Stretch thought about it a moment as he looked at Error, obviously trying to decide if he should trust this information. After all, Error had fucked with their universe so many times and tried to destroy it or fight him using his brother. "I'll admit…" Stretch said after a moment as he looked back over at Ink. "You look worse for wear…you got so many cracks it's not even funny." The orange hoodie wearing skeleton said as he looked the creative skeleton over a minute.

"Can't believe I'm actually saying this…but I actually agree with Error on this one. You shouldn't be out and about." Stretch said after a moment and rubbed his forehead. "Can't believe I fuckin agreed with a glitch…" He mumbled to himself.

Error scoffed and looked away from Stretch, stars, he really hated this version of Papyrus; he was so annoying and he was a bit of an asshole. "Like hell I'm the glitch." He grunted and Ink gave an annoyed sigh. "Alright, that's enough." He said, leaning on his brush. "We still have the monster to deal with…you two can argue and bicker all you want later." Okay…Ink was right; he should really reel in his hatred for Swap Papyrus and get back to the matter at hand. He could catch him by the strings later when he's not distracted with keeping Ink from dusting right before his eyes.

All other thoughts were interrupted when the monster got back up, from what Error could see, the thing was in a bad way. Blood seeping from wounds where spiked paint brushes had hit it, they were sticking out everywhere on its body. "We should hit it with our blasters…" Stretch said as he looked at it. "I think it's getting to where it's losing stamina." 

Well, at least they were getting somewhere with the stupid thing, it was hard to tell when it didn't even show its HP. Error pulled out his blasters, for once working alongside Stretch as he and Ink pulled out their own attacks to fight. As the creature approached they all fired their blasters at the same time, causing the creature to give out a growling scream of pain. Smoke surrounded their target, though it was hard to tell whether or not the damn thing finally bit the dust or not.

Moments later the dust finally cleared and the monster was still, though it didn't look like it would be moving soon. "Do we know if it's dead?" Stretch asked, watching it just in case it did try to move at all; he had to make sure of course. Ink was about to respond when Error placed strings around the monster's neck and squeezed till a disgusting sound came. Its head popped off and suddenly a pool of strange liquid surrounded them and a very bad stench followed. "Ugh…what the fuck…" Stretch grumbled as he covered his nose hole, the smell was god awful and it made Ink want to throw up. "This is disgusting…" Ink whined as he covered his own nose hole so as not to take the rest of the smell in.

"At least it's dead." Error said, voice obviously trying to hide the disgust and want to throw up; his eyes landed on Ink who suddenly went unconscious. He cursed and went over before he could hit the ground, taking him in his arms. "Glitch, we need your home to rest." He said, looking at Stretch who rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, sure." Stretch replied and led Error to the house, though Blue had decided to be friends with Error he couldn't say he felt the same. The guy had tried to mess with his brother a few times, and he was nowhere near interested in trusting him right now. He glanced back to see Error holding the unconscious Ink in his arms so very carefully, it was strange to see if he was being honest.

Once Stretch lead them into the house, Error carefully set the unconscious skeleton onto the couch and looked around, staying close.

 **Okay so…I'm sorry it's late, but yeah. At least I finally got the chapter up, right?**


	8. Chapter 8

**First of all, I want to establish something, I remember reading a comic where Error was using Blue to fight Stretch and I feel like that's a good history…so I wanted to add it in even if it's probably not something you've read. I don't know, it's just something I've thought about. Also, considering I've seen a few fics where Error and Blue are like friends…I thought why not add onto that or whatever.**

 **Strings That Hold Me Together**

 **Chapter 8**

Moments later the dust finally cleared and the monster was still, though it didn't look like it would be moving soon. "Do we know if it's dead?" Stretch asked, watching it just in case it did try to move at all; he had to make sure of course. Ink was about to respond when Error placed strings around the monster's neck and squeezed till a disgusting sound came. Its head popped off and suddenly a pool of strange liquid surrounded them and a very bad stench followed. "Ugh…what the fuck…" Stretch grumbled as he covered his nose hole, the smell was god awful and it made Ink want to throw up. "This is disgusting…" Ink whined as he covered his own nose hole so as not to take the rest of the smell in.

"At least it's dead." Error said, voice obviously trying to hide the disgust and want to throw up; his eyes landed on Ink who suddenly went unconscious. He cursed and went over before he could hit the ground, taking him in his arms. "Glitch, we need your home to rest." He said, looking at Stretch who rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, sure." Stretch replied and led Error to the house, though Blue had decided to be friends with Error he couldn't say he felt the same. The guy had tried to mess with his brother a few times, and he was nowhere near interested in trusting him right now. He glanced back to see Error holding the unconscious Ink in his arms so very carefully, it was strange to see if he was being honest.

Once Stretch lead them into the house, Error carefully set the unconscious skeleton onto the couch and looked around, staying close.

~~o~~o~~

Stretch watched as Error put Ink down on the couch with what seemed to be care, which was weird if you knew how Error was of course. He didn't know what to think of the other's actions, first catching Ink before he fell into the gunk and then setting him carrying him and what he just now did. "Okay, explain what the hell that was." Stretch said as he sat on the floor, watching Error carefully to make sure he didn't try anything with his strings. There was no way in hell he was going to deal with those damn strings once again while another impending crisis was going on.

The black skeleton ignored him as he looked around the house, staying in one little spot and not moving; he just stood there and did nothing else. It was safe to say there were a few times that Error and his brother hung about, it was annoying because his brother just saw good in Error for some odd reason. He couldn't see it, there was just no way Error was good after all the shit he had pulled over the past few years; though it was pointless to tell Blue that. "Where is Blue?" Error asked after a moment, pulling Stretch out of his thoughts; he shook his head and sighed. "Why the hell should you even care? You think he's annoying, and there's no way in hell I'm going to let you near him again." He said, watching the other's expression, which turned to annoyance.

Error refused to answer that, why was it that Stretch had to be so annoying? He was the most annoying Papyrus in the whole multiverse for crying out loud. Really, he should have just done away with him when he had the chance once before but then he would have to deal with an angry Blue. He shook his head and sighed as he looked at the unconscious skeleton before him, god he hoped that Ink would be alright; he really should have been watching HP right now. After a moment, he summoned Ink's soul and looked at it, the strings still wrapped tightly around it; cracks still obviously present.

"What's going on Error, why the hell are your strings around Ink's soul and why is it cracked?" Stretch asked.

Once again, his words were ignored as Error just stared at the soul; it appeared a couple cracks had healed from what he had noticed so far. The black skeleton debated on removing the couple of strings but then decided to leave them as he just continued to stare at the damaged soul. "He was close to dusting when I came." He answered after a moment, looking toward Stretch who had asked him the question earlier; he had to give him an answer after all. "He was fighting that monster we were fighting a few days ago, on the verge of losing and turning to dust had I not arrived." He said and looked at him. "My strings are holding his soul…his very being together. I am preventing him from dusting." Error stated as he let the soul go back to its owner. The idiot should at least be grateful he even let the creator of all the blasted universes live, the bane of his very existence…

"So…let me get this straight, you saved a guy you hate…and then you're keeping him alive…why?" Stretch asked, truly curious as to what was going on in Error's mind.

"Why must there be a reason?" Error asked, glaring at him; he didn't need to explain himself to this numbskull of all people; he did what he wanted.

"Do I have to point out the countless amount of times you've tried getting rid of Ink or are we just going to gloss over that little fact, not to mention trying to get rid of countless universes including this one and Fell." Stretch replied as he watched Error, this was so weird to see.

Error gave an annoyed groan and glared at him, getting so very annoyed about Stretch picking at his behavior like it was something to be studied. If he wanted to be studied he would head over to Sciencetale and ask to be studied, but did he ask for that? No; he did not and he didn't feel like dealing with this. "Mind your own business, this is between me and Ink and no one else…so thank you for my concern."

"Wow, Error said thanks." Stretch said.

"Will you shut your mouth already!" Error growled, words distorted as he got more annoyed, couldn't this Papyrus give him any respect? He was getting very annoyed and when he got very annoyed it was very hard to keep his strings from strangling certain people, which he refused to lose his temper. Couldn't this idiot understand that he was doing what he needed to do, well…technically he didn't need to do this; he supposed he could just leave it.

Ugh…stupid Papyrus copy, always being annoying.

"Okay, geezers bud, don't be such a sour puss." Stretch said and then stayed silent for…Error wanted to count the minutes but what was the point in doing so? Especially when…

"So, about that monster from earlier." Stretch said after a moment earning an annoyed sigh from Error, see? No point, no fucking point! "It's attacking universes, it killed one of the less important ones and Ink freaked out." Error stated.

He could practically see the wheels turning in Stretch's little skull as he fiddled with an unlit cigarette, obviously going to ask him something else soon. "And…are we sure it's dead? I hate to break it to ya Error, but that thing didn't dust and there was no sign of how much HP it had." Stretch pointed out. That was true, what was to say that the monster was actually dead, yes…there was no sign of how much HP was there…

"You…have a point." Error said, ugh that left a disgusting taste in his mouth that he very much wished to get rid of, agreeing with a glitch of all things.

After a moment, Error headed toward the door and Stretch got up, stopping him. "Where you going?" He asked, earning a sigh from the other. "I need to look around, try to find the bastard and get rid of it for good…keep an eye on Ink and make sure he doesn't try to come looking for me."

No; he certainly couldn't have Ink following after him right now, the other was in too much bad a state to even think of fighting right now. If Ink got hurt yet again, then there wouldn't be a point in having tried saving him from dying in the first place and that thought annoyed him greatly. No, Ink just acted ungrateful for what he had done for him and the very idea of Ink fucking everything up just to find him really just pissed him off to no end. He opened the door and was suddenly stopped by Ink's voice, god couldn't that damn skeleton just heal up and leave him to his devices for once?

"You aren't going anywhere without me Error…" Ink said weakly as he sat up.

Error turned roughly toward him and glared as he headed over. "You are in no condition you idiot!" He grumped. "You are in pain, you are not healed! Your soul could dust at any moment and you choose not to care!" Couldn't this dumbass even understand anything?

Couldn't he just stop being dumb and not get into any trouble?

For once he just need to burn something that would stick into that little head of Ink's…then again, who's to say it would even stick good enough. Why the hell did he even save this ungrateful bastard if all he was going to do was run into more trouble than he could dish out himself in one go. He was safe, he was in an au that didn't cause him any harm like all the damn Fell and horror universes surely would if they had ended up in any of them, which was a godsend. Hell, if they had ended up in Assylumtale he could have at least put ink in one of the cell's and then take the brush. Though, the thought of having to deal with those glitches made him shiver in pure unadulterated disgust at the very thought of having to deal with any of those idiots. "I did not go through the trouble of saving you and patching you up for you to just die like the pathetic glitch you are, so do me a favor and stay where the hell you are." He said.

He was about to exit again till Ink pushed himself up and stood, using his brush as a crutch. "Like I'm going to leave you to deal with this alone, that thing is messing with the universes and I need to fix what's been messed up…so for once will you just shut up about all that stuff?" He said, glaring at Error. "Besides…what if this thing messes with the original universe huh? If it messes with Classic Undertale then we're all dead, even you!"

Ink just couldn't understand why Error was being so bull headed, sure he was injured and a bit weak but the other needed his help right now. Hell, he was right about if this monster got it's hooks on the original universe, every other universe created had been built off of it, the original was very important. Classic dies then everyone died and then there would be nothing…just a hole, nothing would survive and that in itself was a very bad nightmare. "So, get your head out of your ass and let me go with you, because I sure as hell will not let you deal with this on your own." He said, annoyed.

"Your code is already unstable Error, you could easily die more than anyone of us…so my number one priority is keeping you safe." Ink continued.

Stretch rolled his eyes as he listened to the arguing and sighed; he had to admit that Ink was really being stubborn about the whole thing. Then again Error was being just as stubborn and it looked like one of them was going to have to give up and he knew it was just going to keep going till then. "Alright, look…as much as I don't approve…Error; he's right…though, I think you should get some more help." He said, crossing his arms as he looked at them.

Error and Ink looked over at him, reactions varied as Ink looked pleased with the idea and Error looked ready to explode with an annoyed scream. Yeah, he was aware Error didn't work well with others, but at least then things would be alright and he would have backup while Ink recovered as best he could. "I like that idea, Error we should find someone else to help you…maybe Gaster! Sans…" He said thoughtfully. "He's smart after all, and we need smart."

"The thought upsets me greatly." Error deadpanned, god why did he have to be in this situation? He did not want anything to do with any other Sans. God, why did they have to force him into finding another Glitch, who to be honest was very annoying, a mix between a Gaster and a Sans…he hated this. Hated everything about this whole damn situation he was currently in, it upset him that he had no power to over throw this whole damn idea of theirs.

"Oh, don't be so upset, you'll be alright!" Ink said, smiling.

"Oh shut up…" Error seethed and crossed his arms. "Fine, let's go, don't blame me if you suddenly keel over from exhaustion and pain. Just know I warned you not to over exert yourself when the time comes, you really need to learn to fucking listen!" he said as Ink created a portal for them to go in."

If it were possible, Error was sure that he would definitely be dealing with a heart attack…did skeletons even get heart attacks? Who knew…he just knew he would definitely have one by the end of this.

 **Once again…when I have ideas, I write fast! That's rare for me…**


	9. Chapter 9

**I have to admit I always feel a pit in my stomach when I get comments on my fics…I see the notification in my mail and I'm like, oh shit! I mean, I can't be the only one who fears even clicking on the notification…I'm just like…do they like it or do they hate it? Ugh…such anxiety that doesn't need to exist! Also, I have written myself into a corner…I barely know anything about Echotale except snippets…so bear with me.**

 **Strings That Hold Me Together**

 **Chapter 9**

Error stopped Ink before he could pull that brush of his out. "Don't waste your power." He said and started making an opening himself instead. He glanced at Ink who just rolled his eyes and follow, god he was really starting to hate being watched by the other so he couldn't do anything. His job was to watch over the multiverse so he didn't really have much time to rest, even if he was injured…and his soul was on the verge of shattering. The only thing holding him together were Error's strings…which were only being pulled away when Error thought certain areas were healed well enough.

Okay, so maybe he was over exaggerating; he wasn't in the best of health as of right now, hell he passed out not long ago after that battle and stuff. Not to mention he was unconscious for who knows how long on Swap's couch while Error and Stretch argued over things, ugh he hated this so much.

"You should really be resting…your HP isn't the best right now." Error said, fiddling with strings as he walked around, keeping an eye out for whatever.

It was things like these that made him wonder what Error was even doing…first he saved him from being killed by that…whatever the hell that thing was. Then of course, he wraps his soul up so he didn't end up falling and dusting…now he's worrying over every little thing and wanting him to rest. "I'll be fine." Ink sighed, rubbing his skull. "Besides, someone needs to watch and make sure you don't destroy other universes, who better than me?" Ink smiled.

This of course, caused Error to glitch a bit, little errors floating around his head as he just turned away from Ink and grumbled in annoyance at his words. "I think the universes need to be cleared about now Ink, considering there's more than you can even count!" Error said, but Ink just ignored his little rant.

If you thought about it, there seemed to be a new universe creating itself almost every day or every hour; it depended maybe since there was no telling. Every universe stemmed off of the Classic Universe, after the fact it seemed Underfell and UnderSwap sprouted from it not too long after the fact. These universes seemed to pop up like weeds, and it didn't seem like too long before UnderSwap and Underfell gathered together and gave birth to Swapfell.

If Error had to be honest with himself, and let's face it…he was always very honest, the whole universe sprouting was going insane. Let us not forget that Horrortale didn't take too long to sprout up, though that wasn't the fault of Ink, no…Classic Frisk was to blame for that one. She asked that it not be destroyed to serve as a reminder as to why the king shouldn't be killed, because, well, obviously, things went to shit after that, didn't they?

It kind of pissed him off that he couldn't delete that disgusting waste of space and put everyone out of their misery, but Frisk was right he guessed. She was long past the genocidal timelines and doing her best to keep it all pacifist, but keeping Horrortale just served as a good reminder to never do it again. To never go genocide or neutral ever again, because she didn't like how things ended when it turned Neutral or just plain genocide in the timelines.

Aside from that…it seemed all the universes just turned out to be one big cluster fuck that needed to be cleaned every once in a while. Then again, that would just end up being some insane little fight between Ink and him, as fun as that would be he didn't think it would be a good idea till he was healed. Either way, that still didn't excuse the ever-expanding multiverse, which again…did need to be thinned out…which was his very unpopular opinion it seemed.

The only thing he hated about Echotale, was that Gaster wasn't Gaster…but Sans and Papyrus, it was very unsettling to see the personality change. Then again, those guys had been known to help on some things that required a fair amount of smarts that even rivaled Sciencetale Sans he supposed. Actually, he took it back…he hated everything about Echotale…the echo flowers everywhere, repeating every little word that didn't need repeating.

Ugh…they were so annoying, more so when they tried repeating his glitched up words that didn't make sense almost half the time to them. Other than that, just pure hell…that was what Echotale was…well, so were the other universes, but if he had to pick which one was more hellish, it would be this. Underswap just barely made it on the list…and no, it wasn't because he was friends with that damn Blueberry or anything, that Sans could be a little annoying…if not fun to be around…he guessed.

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw Ink almost trip and grabbed him before he could hit the ground. "You really need to rest." He said. He gave an annoyed grunt when Ink gave a little whine and tried to get away, obviously the other was getting a little tired of being babied or something. "Oh, shut up, listen to me for once. Your soul can't exactly take all this movement, not to mention your damn HP is low." He said and put Ink over his shoulder.

This motion earned him a little surprised squeak from Ink who just then started yelling for him to put him down, ugh…just great! If he didn't stop screaming about this and that, the echo flowers were going to just start repeating just as loudly…and he certainly wasn't in the mood for that headache. Honestly, why did Ink have to be such a whiney bitch when he was injured? This was so annoying….ugh…

Ink was getting very irritated at being handled like a little child, sure he was injured, but at the same time they were on an important mission! The whole of the multiverse and the original universe were depending on him…and Error…to defeat whatever monster this was, so there was no room for this. Despite feeling weak, Ink still felt like he could do some things, and now Error wasn't even letting him do those things; he couldn't understand why he cared.

He sighed and just gave up on trying to struggle out of his hold, his soul was aching from all the moving he had been doing as of late. Okay, so maybe he did need some rest…but this wasn't the time to do that, not with the multiverse in danger from that creature…not to mention Error as well! Yeah, sure…Error hadn't caused much havoc since he had started taking care of him but still; he wasn't sure how long that was going to be lasting of course.

"Do you even know where Sans and Papyrus are at the moment?" Ink asked after a moment, resting his head on his hand while the other carried him.

"I can wager a guess." Was all Error said and Ink rolled his eyes. "You should have dropped us off there so we didn't have to walk Snowdin."

"Who's to say they aren't in Snowdin?" Error replied.

"Now you're just guessing." Ink replied, annoyance clear in his voice.

Error rolled his eyes and set Ink down in the snow, looking around before summoning his strings; he preferred searching this way anyway. It was easier to find someone in this mess of an underground, normally they would just wrap around a soul and once he felt it he pulled them where he was. He could tell Ink looked alarmed but he chose to ignore the look in favor of concentrating on finding the people they were searching for instead.

~~o~~

Sans was currently deep into his work, cigarette clinging between his teeth as he tried to track some sort of anomaly that he hadn't seen before. Frisk of course sleep beside the table; he gave a sigh as he debated on moving her, but let it go for now in favor of figuring this weird mess out. "Somethin's rotten in Denmark." He mumbled to himself, eyes scanning the screen before him, coding was almost being eaten before his eyes but only bits.

He was so deep in concentration and trying to figure out what was causing this he hadn't noticed strings grab at his waist before it was too late. 'The fuck...!" He gave a surprised yell, cigarette falling from his mouth as he was being pulled out of the lab, the skeleton growled as he tried grabbing at things.

Unfortunately, all he succeeded in was knocking a few glass things over which resulted in Frisk waking up and staring at him with wide eyes as he disappeared. Well, if today wasn't shitty enough, this had to be right up there on the shit meter that was for sure…at least that was how he saw the whole thing. He studied the strings as he was pulled and then rolled his eyes, what the hell was Error even doing here when he promised to never be back?

One thing was for sure…someone was going to get dunked on if he had anything to say about it, dammit he was in the middle of something important!

~~o~~

"I really don't think it's a good idea." Ink said as he watched.

"Shut up, it's faster this way, I have him." Error said, smirking as he saw Gaster! Sans coming toward him; his eyes widened when he realized he was ready to attack. There was no way he could stop his strings in time before…SMACK…he gave a yell and fell back when the other's fist collided with him. The other's fist had hit him square in the face, that damn shit eating smirk on his face before Error suddenly found himself on Ink face to face.

It took a moment for Error to realize it; he opened his eyes and noticed he was smack dab on top of Ink, their teeth practically touching each other in a skeleton kiss. Ink was blushing madly and Error screamed as he got up quickly and glared angrily at Gaster! Sans who just smirked and backed away. "That wouldn't have happened if you didn't surprise me with your strings, asshole." He said and pulled out a cigarette from the pack in his pocket.

Error scoffed. "It was faster than going all the way into Hotland to find your glitch of an ass!" He defended as the other lit his cigarette and took a puff. God, he hated how the taller skeleton just stood there and took a puff of that little cancer stick of his, like he just didn't give one little shit about things. "Here's the thing Bud, I was kinda in the middle of somethin' when your glitched up ass decided I needed to be here right away." Was all the other said. It was so calm too, like he hadn't just punched Error in the face just then and made him bump…no, it was more of a crash…Ink and…kiss him…ugh…

"Well, whatever you were trying to do, it's not important, because right now, we're trying to save the multiverse from being destroyed." Error said, crossing his arms.

At this little bit of information G! Sans arched his brow bone and took another puff of that damn cigarette and made a 'hmm' sound in response. "I'm having a hard time believing that you, of all people, are trying to save the multiverse from being destroyed." He replied and crossed his arms. "I mean fuck, you've tried destroying it yourself billions of times while Ink works his pretty little ass off trying to stop ya." Ugh…was it so hard to believe?

"It's true." Error looked over to Ink who had just spoken and was currently trying to get up off the ground, though it was kind of hard in his state. After a moment, Error went to him and helped him up, making sure he was okay, though if he had noticed Ink did blush a little. Though, this was Error and there were big doubts that he would notice that kind of thing right away; he wasn't the most observant person exactly anyway.

G! Sans noticed the blush though, deciding to store that in his brain for later, considering he wasn't in the mood to teas Error or Ink at that very moment. "Alright, so Error has a change of heart, what exactly is going on to make something like that happen, because this isn't Error behavior." He said. He knew Error to be an arrogant little fucker who liked to destroy things whenever he got a chance and sometimes kidnapped other Sanses.

"Shut up." Error grumped, crossing his arms.

Ink sighed. "Well, I was in the middle of fighting some strange monster and it really did a number on me…I was about to fall down till Error arrived. He saved me, patched me up…" He said and showed him his soul, the cracks were clearly visible beneath the strings that Error had patched him with. G! Sans went over and inspected the soul a bit before looking at Ink and then Error. "And why the fuck is he still up and running around? He could fuckin' dust!" He yelled.

Error rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Don't look at me that way, I tried but Ink is too bull headed to listen to me!" He growled.

"Seems to me you didn't try hard enou-" G's words were interrupted by a crash somewhere in Snowdin and he looked over, that same damn monster was there, eating code. He cursed, damn…this was the creature that took down Ink, but was this the thing that was causing problems with the code? If not, then he was still needing to search for whatever it was that was eating up the code of his universe and fucking up what could end up being corrupt later on.

"So…how do we defeat this thing…?" He asked, glancing at Error.

"Hard work and determination." Error said, strings shooting out of his fingers and going to wrap around the creature's neck and other limbs, squeezing them. G gave a nod and sighed, summoning his blasters and using them against the creature, it didn't appear to have any HP…that was interesting. So…you couldn't tell whether it was close to dusting or not…this may just end up being a huge problem that may not end good…but he hoped it was solvable.

Ink sighed and rubbed his skull as he watched them fight, deciding to stay out of this one as he made sure his soul was snug back in his rib cage. He really hated being useless, and right now he was very useless, couldn't even fight if he wanted to since he was so drained and tired. The creative skeleton just hoped that sooner or later, whatever this creature was…it would just give up and die completely and not bother anymore universes. Then again, that was just hopeful thinking and right now he doubted even that would work when trying to fight this damn thing.

The multiverse was definitely in trouble if this thing was going to be worse than Error could ever hope to be when it came to wanting universes gone. Every universe was precious in its own way, even if some of them were beyond help of being normal like Dusttale, Horrortale, and a few others. To say the least…he just hoped that sooner or later this thing was just going to run out of steam and give up on trying to kill universes sooner or later, this couldn't go on forever.

 **Eh…I hope you liked it…G! Sans is probably out of character…honestly I wouldn't be surprised, I can't stay in character for nothing sometimes.**


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